Compressor

[flyguys]

Found a little compressor and wondered if it would work for painting crank it run 15 to 25 psi

[BobP]

JMHO, your candidate compressor seems much too weak to me. If it has a max output of 25 psi, the sustained psi under the load of an airbrush will probably be around 15 psi (there's usually a 10 psi drop). Many crankbait painters like to shoot at between 30 and 45 psi sustained psi. I'll occasionally reduce psi to 15 when I'm shooting detail with thinned paint, but not often. 15 psi is too low to shoot unthinned paint consistently. Many of us like to use regular tool compressors that have a max psi of 100 psi or more. You can always put a regulator on it (in fact you always should) to lower the compressor's output to whatever you like but you can never increase the psi after you buy a compressor. You can buy tool compressors starting at around $60, so a lot of guys go in that direction.

[Fishwhittler]

I recently got an airbrush setup, and I find that around 35 psi is where it works best. I've used it at higher pressures, but 35 psi seems to be the best all-around working pressure.